A huge crowd of 25,000 people attended the Father Peyton Family Rosary Crusade at the Gaelic (Fraher) Field in Dungarvan, beside the River Colligan in mid-July 1954, Marian Year.

An “altar stand” was erected and special trains were run, with many boarding from Kilmeaden and other stations en route to the Old Boro. Included in this photograph are Mr & Mrs Denis Fielding, Oldcourt, Killotteran (centre) and Jimmy Fox, Killone, Dunhill on the right.

The Munster Express reported how the Shandon venue was “thronged to overflowing” with the writer saying “the scenes of remarkable religious fervour and edifying devotional impressiveness which I witnessed will remain always with me.”

Loudspeakers conveyed the words of Fr Patrick Peyton (left inset), described by the Irish Independent as “a tall burly man, as kindly as he is persuasive” who had “won a niche in the affections of the Irish people that will ensure for him their eternal gratitude and remembrance. He brought tears to their eyes and joy to their hearts.”

The Ballina-born ‘Rosary Priest’, known for his strong Irish accent, was a popular and charismatic figure in Latin America, the USA (where he emigrated to, aged 19), North Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Famously preaching “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together,” a slogan created for him by a non-Catholic advertising expert, he used celebrities to spread his message and was one of the first pioneers of evangelism using mass media. His ‘Blessed Mother’ crusade masses were held worldwide.

It has been reported that the ones in Latin America were funded and partly directed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which wanted to combat leftist political movements there.

Some accused the cleric of living a flashy lifestyle among Hollywood celebs, but he insisted he had never solicited the wealthy. Among Filipino Catholics, Fr Peyton is remembered for his Sunday TV shows and fundraising for poor slum dwellers.

Having died in California in 1992, his cause for canonisation was opened in 2001 and Pope Francis declared him venerable in December 2017.